Fairly urgent help needed - changing a headlight bulb on a K12

[norfolkne]

Can anyone give me some tips for changing the headlight bulbs on my K12?

I am trying to follow the pictoral guide in the handbook but having no luck whatsoever. Looking at the guide in the handbook I think I am right in saying I should remove the plastic electrical connector from the back of the bulb first and that I do this by squeezing the sides of it and pulling. I have tried this for longer than I care to mention and the thing just isn't budging.

Does anyone have any advice on the best way to go about it please?

 

[norfolkne]

All sorted now so hopefully I haven't caused too much damage lol, for the MOT next month.

Someone's obviously been fiddling about with the lights before I got the car. One of the headlight brackets on the nearside is broken.

The leccy connectors weren't budging so I had to loosen the headlights to give me more room, the plastic screw fixings, which fixed the headlight to the front bumper bit the dust in the process. After lots of swearing scraped and bloodied thumbs and fingers, shaking hands and at one point being severely tempted to stab myself in the side of the head with a philips screwdriver for even attempting it in the rain knowing I had to go out in the car this afternoon, the connectors came loose.

The metal springs were also a bit of a mare to undo.

New bulbs fitted now and headlights tightened back up although the passenger side hadlight moves ever so slightly if you give it a good push, most probably down to the broken bracket. It was most probably moved like that before, I've just never noticed it until now and it shouldn't be an issue for it's second MOT as it passed the first one with the broken bracket.

Changing the wheels round on Wednesday if the weather's decent. Wish me luck lol

P.S. If you're going to change the headlight bulbs on your K12 yourself, unless you have the hands of a dwarf and are very lucky, you'll need lots of time and lots of perserverance.

 

[Dragonmaster_uk]

I can do one in 5 mins now due to practice an knowing to remove the headlights

 

[Guy]

Even just removing the visible 10mm bolts allows you to lift the back of the light unit a couple of inches, makes the job aLOT easier .

 

[norfolkne]

I think I would find it easier and I'd be able to do it more quickly if/when I need to change them again.


There is virtually no spare space in the engine bay with the diesel engine in there. I can't remember if the petrol is much different from when I had my 1.2?

 

[Guy]

Trust me on this, there's no room in the engine bay on a K12 - PERIOD .